Seeing Red
by Kamari Turen
Summary: When Marceline is possessed by an evil wizard, turning her into a feral monster with a craving for red, it's up to Finn and Jake to save the day before she destroys their friends and all of Ooo. Inspired by the episode "Red Starved." One shot, slightly AU. Rated T for some violence.


To live as a vampire is to live a life that is often full of turmoil. Often vampires must deal with the fear they incur in others, as well as their insatiable blood-lust and their inability to be active during the day. This is a reality with which Marceline Abadeer is acutely familiar, as she has spent over a thousand years as the sole Vampire Queen of the Land of Ooo.

In truth, Marceline hasn't dealt with these hardships in a very long time, as she has gained a loving and loyal network of supporters and friends over the years. She enjoys a strong friendship with the heroes Finn the Human and Jake the Dog, as well as Princess Bubblegum, the ruler of the Candy Kingdom. In addition, she has developed friendships with BMO, Lady Rainicorn, and the other citizens of the Candy Kingdom. She even has a friendly relationship with Ice King, the ruler of the Ice Kingdom. These friends have helped keep her from being seen as a monster, as well as helping her to resist the temptation to succeed her father as the ruler of the Nightosphere.

The desire for blood has never been a real issue for Marceline, as vampires in the Land of Ooo consume anything red. Of course this does give her a taste for blood, but she is able to control the craving by seeking out other red things to eat. And Marceline has found a way to be active during the day by using her intelligence to avoid direct sunlight.

All of this has led Marceline to accept what she is and not let it define her. She has never dreamed that she would one day harm her friends or become a threat to the Land of Ooo. In fact, the very idea that something like that could ever happen seems preposterous to her, as it does to her friends. But all of that would change on the day Marceline met the Red Wizard.

* * *

Marceline was on her way home after a fun jam session with Finn, Jake, PB, and BMO. She was exhausted and was looking forward to a few hours of sleep, as she had important business to attended to in the morning. The jam session had been great and Marceline was convinced she and her friends had something truly special going. But there were still issues to work out, specifically the divergent directions she and Princess Bubblegum wanted to take the music in. PB wanted something happy and uplifting, something the citizens of the Candy Kingdom would enjoy. But Marceline wanted something heartfelt and emotional, something that captured the essence of her thousand plus years of existence. Finn, Jake, and BMO had yet to give their opinions on the subject, though Marceline suspected that they were leaning more towards Bubblegum's vision. This division had dampened an otherwise brilliant jam and was still gnawing at Marceline's gut as she arrived home.

"Glob it, why can't they just go along with my vision." she muttered as she entered her house. "It's not like I'm writing about death or anything."

_Not that death is necessarily a bad topic to write about_, she thought as she headed upstairs to her room. "I'd just like to work on something that wasn't so happy." she continued out loud, before an unfamiliar sound made her stop.

The sound had come from downstairs and Marceline headed back down to investigate. Her senses were on high alert as she descended the stairs, but there appeared to be no sign of what had made the sound anywhere. Curious, Marceline began searching every nook and cranny of her house, but nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. And then she heard the sound again, this time much closer than the first time.

"Who's there?" she called. "Finn? Jake? Are you guys hiding in my house again?"

"No my dear, your friends are not here." a deep, sinister voice said from the shadows.

"Who are you?" Marceline demanded. "Show yourself."

"As you wish." the voice said, the shadows retreating to reveal a tall figure in a red, hooded robe, long, thin hands protruding from the sleeves of the robe.

"Who the Glob are you?" Marceline demanded again.

"I am the Red Wizard." the figure said. "And I am your worst nightmare."

"My worst nightmare huh?" Marceline asked. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but you'll have to get in line to claim that title. There are others who have already claimed it, specifically my father. You may have heard of him, Hunson Abadeer, the ruler of the Nightosphere."

"I know well of your lineage child." the Red Wizard said. "And it does not concern me."

"Then you must be an idiot." Marceline said, her tone mocking.

"You mock me, yet you do not comprehend the power that stands before you." the Red Wizard said. "I am more powerful than anything you have yet encountered and I know of your pain Marceline. I know what it is you really want."

"What are you talking about man?" Marceline asked. "I have all I could want right here."

"How little you know yourself." the Red Wizard said. "There is something within you that you have always craved. You know of what I speak, I know you do."

"Sure dude, whatever you say." Marceline said, her tone dismissive. "But if you're gonna be so damn insistent, why don't you tell me what you think you know."

"The thing you crave the most is to be a true vampire." the Red Wizard said. "A true vampire, free of your reliance on friends and emotions, a soulless, emotionless killer who takes life without a second thought. This is what you are and what you have always been destined to become. Why do you think your father wants you to succeed him?"

"No." Marceline said, her voice barely a whisper. "No, that's not what I want at all."

"But it is." the Red Wizard said, his tone full of sinister glee. "It is and I will give it to you now, whether you want it or not."

"No, I won't let you." Marceline said, baring her fangs as he approached.

"Fool, you cannot stop me." the Red Wizard said. "I began the spell the moment you walked inside. It is too late to stop it now."

Marceline's eyes widened, but before she could do anything to stop him the Red Wizard spoke a spell and she felt her body freeze as the blood-lust took hold.

"Must...kill..." she grunted. "Must...feed. Give me the red."

"Yes." the Red Wizard said, laughing as Marceline transformed into a feral monster. "Yes, become what you were always meant to be. Now go forth into the world and destroy all who stand in your way."

"Yes master." Marceline said, her red eyes flashing as she turned and exited the house, her feral instinct drawing her towards the people of Ooo.

* * *

At that same moment Finn and Jake were relaxing in their tree house. Like Marceline, they had left the jam session with a sense of pride, though they had both sensed the tension between her and Princess Bubblegum. But unlike Marceline, they didn't seem to have an opinion one way or the other. Finn had considered taking sides, but in the interest of avoiding the wrath of either Marceline or PB had ultimately chosen not to. Jake simply seemed not to care. After all, it wasn't like they were a real band. They were just a group of friends hanging out and jamming, so there was no need to make long term plans or fight over the direction of the music. This was the approach BMO had chosen to take as well, or so it seemed. Finn and Jake weren't exactly certain, as it could sometimes be difficult to know exactly what the little robot was thinking.

At that particular moment BMO seemed to be concerned with collecting random articles of Finn's clothing, while Jake was focused on making something to eat. But Finn was still dwelling on what had happened between Marceline and Bubblegum. He wasn't sure why he was so concerned about their relationship, as Marcy and PB had never been all that close, or so they both claimed. But Finn knew there was something else going on between them and he hated seeing his friends fight, even if it was over something as simple as music.

"Dude, you can't keep dwelling on this." Jake said, drawing Finn from his thoughts.

"I'm not dwelling." Finn said, doing his best to sound convincing.

"Yeah you are bro." Jake said. "And it's not healthy. Remember how depressing it was when you were obsessed with learning how PB felt about you?"

"That wasn't depressing." Finn said. "That was...I don't really know what. But it wasn't depressing and you know it, you globstain."

"Whatever you say man." Jake muttered. "But I think it was depressing. Anyway, the food's ready, so how bout we eat?"

Finn nodded and joined Jake at the table, while BMO continued gathering Finn's clothes, much to Jake's curiosity.

"BMO, what are you doing?" he asked through a mouthful of sandwich.

"I am building a fort." BMO replied happily.

"With my clothes?" Finn asked, amused by BMO's innocence.

"Yes." BMO replied. "Your clothes make an excellent fort. And this way you will never lose another sock."

Finn and Jake laughed at that, amused by BMO's reference to a previous adventure in which BMO had gone on a mission to find one of Finn's socks which had gone missing. Finn was just about to complement BMO for his creativity when a cry of fear drew his attention.

"What the donk was that?" he asked, glancing at Jake.

"I don't know man." Jake answered. "But it came from outside, whatever it was."

Finn nodded and ran to the window, curious to know what was going on. At first he didn't see anything and then he caught a brief glimpse of something moving towards the Candy Kingdom. The figure was huge, at least ten feet tall, and was moving with startling speed, but Finn couldn't make out what it was until it turned and looked at him.

"Gah!" he cried, jumping back from the window, his expression horrified.

"What is it?" Jake asked, moving to Finn's side.

"It's some kind of monster and it's moving towards the Candy Kingdom." Finn said, his tone thick with fear.

Startled, Jake moved to the window and looked out. A moment later he caught sight of the monster Finn had seen, but he noticed something Finn had missed. "That's not just any monster, brother." he said, not turning away from the window.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked, his tone confused as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Come here and look again." Jake said, pulling Finn towards the window as he spoke.

Finn looked again and this time he saw what Jake meant. "Holy shmow, that's Marceline." he said, the shock almost too much for him to bear.

"Yeah, but the question is, what the donk happened to her?" Jake said, as the pair continued to watch Marceline's march in horror.

As they watched a sudden thought occurred to Finn. "Wait a minute." he said. "She's heading for the Candy Kingdom."

"Yeah, so?" Jake asked. "What's your point dude?"

"If she's headed to the Candy Kingdom, she's going after PB." Finn said, his voice strained. "And if that's the case, then we have to stop her."

"Glob, you're right." Jake said, suddenly catching Finn's drift. "But how do we stop her without killing her?"

"We'll figure that out on the way." Finn said. "Now let's go before it's too late."

Jake nodded and they left, both of them hoping they could stop Marceline without having to kill her.

* * *

As Finn and Jake rushed to stop her, Marceline continued on her path to the Candy Kingdom. She was completely oblivious to the fact that she was being pursued and even if she had noticed, she wouldn't have cared. All that mattered was the red, or anything that even remotely resembled it. There was plenty of red in the Candy Kingdom, though Marceline was after one person in particular. That person was Princess Bubblegum, and though PB was pink, not red, Marceline was determined to feed on her first.

And yet, despite the insatiable craving gnawing at her gut, some part of Marceline knew this was wrong. A tiny voice in her head kept telling her to stop this madness and turn back, but the voice driving her forward was louder and she could not regain control of her mind. The Red Wizard had cast his spell perfectly and Marceline would not stop until she had consumed all the red in Ooo.

As she reached the Candy Kingdom she felt her craving surge within her, as if the proximity to her prey was intensifying the craving. She knew her prey was behind those walls, now all she had to do was get past them. As she made her approach however, the giant Gumball Guardians turned their attention towards her, causing her to stop.

"Evil detected." one of the guardians said, moving to stop Marceline.

Marceline glanced at the guardians before leaping over them with such speed and grace that they had no chance of stopping her. Before the guardians could react she had already made it into the castle, her incessant craving driving her ever forward.

Once inside the castle Marceline headed for Bubblegum's chambers, ignoring all other life she encountered along the way. Moments later she burst into Bubblegum's chambers, only to find that the princess was not alone. She was seated behind her desk, poring over some sort of equations, flanked by Lady Rainicorn and Lumpy Space Princess. Bubblegum looked up from her work at the sound of Marceline's entrance, her expression surprised.

"Marceline, what are you doing here?" the princess asked, genuinely confused.

"Hello Bonnibel." Marceline said, a sinister grin twisting her features.

Bubblegum blinked, taken aback by Marceline's rather unusual greeting and repeated her question. "What are you doing here, Marceline?"

But Marceline did not respond and it was Lumpy Space Princess who spoke next.

"She asked you a question Marceline." LSP said. "It's rude not to answer, you know. I mean, what the Glob girl? Where are your manners?"

Still Marceline did not respond, her red gaze fixed only on Princess Bubblegum. There was something unnerving about her gaze, though the other three could not seem to figure out what, until Marceline took a step towards them, her fangs bared and her eyes wild.

"Marceline, stop!" a familiar voice cried then, the sound drawing Marceline's attention.

She turned and spotted Finn and Jake amongst the crowd of candy people who had gathered outside of Bubblegum's chambers. Finn was holding his sword and Jake clutched a rock, though neither of them made a move to fight.

"Marcy, what the donk are you doing?" Jake asked. "Why are you attacking the Candy Kingdom? PB is your friend."

"I must have the red." Marceline answered, her tone casual as though they were discussing the weather or music.

"What do you mean you must have the red?" Finn asked. "What are you talking about?"

"This." Marceline said, before turning and lunging at Princess Bubblegum. Her fangs sank into the soft, candied flesh of Bubblegum's throat and before anyone could stop her she had drained the princess dry, sucking all of the pink out of her. She tossed the princess aside and lunged at Lady Rainicorn next, sucking the red from her rainbow before turning her attention towards the rest of the Candy Kingdom.

Finn moved to defend the candy people, while Jake hurried to Lady's side, but Marceline ignored them both. She gave Finn a long, hard look before turning and leaping from the tower, leaving the Candy Kingdom to mourn their dear, departed leader.

* * *

With Marceline gone Finn turned his attention to Princess Bubblegum. He still couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Why would Marcy attack Bubblegum? More importantly, what had driven Marcy to this state of madness? Something strange was going on and Finn intended to find out what, but first he had to make sure PB was okay.

She certainly didn't look okay. Marceline's attack had drained all the color from her, leaving her almost completely white. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, as though she couldn't get enough air, and her eyes were wide with fear. Finn had never seen the princess in such bad shape and he couldn't help fearing for her life. But he refused to let those thoughts consume him and moved to Bubblegum's side, his expression one of forced calm.

"I'm sorry princess." he said. "I failed in my duty to protect you."

"No Finn." she gasped. "You did...all you could..." She trailed off and for a moment there was only silence.

"Princess?" Finn asked, fear gripping him as the possibilities flooded his mind.

"Yes?" she asked, the sound of her voice drawing a sigh of relief from the room.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Finn asked, his tone awkward.

"Yes." she answered. "You must...must summon the Ice King. Only he can help us. He will...he will know of a way to help Marceline. Summon him Finn, please, before it's too late."

"I will." Finn promised, though he wasn't sure how the Ice King could help.

"Wait, why are we trying to help Marcy?" Jake asked. "She attacked the Candy Kingdom, doesn't that make her our enemy now?"

"She was not...acting of her own accord." Bubblegum said, her voice barely a whisper. "She is...still our friend and we must...help her. Trust me..." Her voice trailed off again and she was still, all the strength going out of her.

"P-Bubs?" Finn asked, staring at her motionless form.

"She's alive Finn." Doctor Princess said, her tone reassuring. Finn hadn't noticed her arrive, but it made sense that she was here.

"You promise?" Finn asked, his gaze still locked on Princess Bubblegum.

"Yes." Doctor Princess answered. "Now go, do your duty and summon the Ice King."

Finn nodded and took his leave, not bothering to ask Jake to accompany him. This was a task he had to accomplish on his own and he would see that it was done. Besides, Jake needed to stay with Lady, who was also suffering the ill effects of Marceline's attack.

* * *

An hour or so later Jake met him on the balcony outside Princess Bubblegum's room. Finn was waiting for word from the Ice King, but no response had come yet and he was beginning to wonder if one ever would.

"Hey man, how are things out here?" Jake asked, his tone sullen.

"Not so great." Finn replied, not meeting his brother's gaze.

"No word from Ice King yet?" Jake guessed.

Finn shook his head and turned towards the castle. "How's Lady?" he asked.

"She's doing better, but it'll be awhile before she's back to normal." Jake answered.

"That's good." Finn said, though he could tell Jake wasn't telling him everything.

"How did this happen?" Jake asked. "What happened to make Marcy all wonky like that?"

"It's like PB said." Finn answered. "She's not acting of her own accord. Someone is making her do this, I can feel it."

"Yeah, but who?" Jake asked, though he knew Finn didn't have an answer.

"I believe I can answer that." a voice said from above. Glancing up they found the Ice King floating above them, his great beard acting as a pair of wings. "Hey guys." he said. "I heard you wanted to talk to me."

"We do actually." Finn said. "I assume you've heard about what happened earlier?"

"I may have." Ice King replied. "What's it matter to you?"

"Princess Bubblegum was hurt." Finn said. "By Marceline. And we were sort of hoping you could tell us why."

"What makes you think I'd know something like that?" Ice King asked.

"Because you're a wizard." Finn said, almost shouting. "Now tell us what's going on or I swear to Glob I'll let Flame Princess melt your kingdom again."

"Okay, okay, jeez." Ice King muttered. "You don't have get so hostile. Tell me what happened and I'll see if I can give you an explanation."

Finn nodded and gave Ice King his account of what had happened. He was certain to include every detail, just to make absolutely certain there was no way for Ice King to make up some crap explanation. When he was finished Ice King was silent for a long moment before he finally gave his opinion.

"This sounds like the work of the Red Wizard to me." he said, his tone grave.

"Who the donk is the Red Wizard?" Jake asked, his tone incredulous.

"The Red Wizard is a very powerful magician, one of the most powerful in all of Ooo." Ice King replied. "It's said his powers even rival that of the Lich. Anyway, he specializes in controlling people and it would seem that's what he's done here. I would guess that he's used Marceline's hunger for red to get her to do his bidding."

"And what would his bidding be, exactly?" Finn asked, curious.

"That's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Ice King said. "He wants to control all of Ooo by destroying the powers that already exist here."

"So that means other rulers are in danger as well." Finn said. "Like Flame Princess."

"Yes." Ice King said, his tone devoid of it's usual maniacal glee.

"How do we stop him?" Jake asked, ignoring the fact that the Red Wizard's plans also put the Ice King in danger.

"You have to kill him." Ice King said. "Which means you'll need the Sword of Everlasting Redness." He grinned as he said this, as though they were supposed to know what this sword was.

"The what now?" Jake asked, both confused and suspicious.

"The Sword of Everlasting Redness." Ice King repeated. "It is the only weapon that can kill the Red Wizard, as it's forged from his blood. But in order to kill him, you'll have to do the same to Marceline." His expression was sad now, as though he regretted telling them.

"What? Why?" Finn asked, horrified by this development.

"Because she has become his host." Ice King said. "I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be."

"There has to be another way." Finn said, a note of pleading in his voice. "I can't kill Marcy, even if she's possessed by an evil wizard."

"There is no other way." Ice King snapped. "If you want to stop the Red Wizard and save Princess Bubblegum, not to mention the rest of Ooo, then you better find a way to get over your feelings for Marcy or we're all screwed."

"Fine." Finn said, still disliking this idea. "Where do I find the donking sword?"

"Come with me and I'll show you." Ice King said, grinning as he led them away from the Candy Kingdom.

* * *

While Finn, Jake, and Ice King went to retrieve the Sword of Everlasting Redness, Marceline continued on her chaotic mission. Having successfully drained Princess Bubblegum she now turned her attention to more fascinating shades of red. One individual in particular drew her attention, though Marceline knew this individual would not be easy to get to. Still, she would at least make an attempt, even if it ended in failure.

To that end she made her way to the Fire Kingdom, some part of her aware of how much this would hurt Finn. But the incessant craving in the pit of her stomach drove whatever worries she had from her mind and she forged ahead, hoping to find an easy way into the Fire Kingdom. She wasn't sure if that was even possible given what she knew about the Fire Kingdom, but if anyone could find a way in without alerting the guards, it was Marceline.

She soon arrived at the walls of the kingdom, a quick glance telling her that the place was heavily guarded. Perhaps Flame Princess had heard what had happened in the Candy Kingdom and had placed extra guards for safety. Marceline didn't see how that was possible, but there was no other logical explanation. Regardless, the guards would not stop her. They were fire as well and fire burns red, which only made them vulnerable to her in this state.

As she approached the gates of the Fire Kingdom a guard stepped forward, his flaming eyes never leaving her. "Halt." the guard said. "What business brings you to the Fire Kingdom?"

Marceline gave no answer and before the guard could speak again she was on him, draining him of any and all red his flames possessed. More guards rushed forward, but Marceline quickly disposed of them as well before entering the kingdom, her blood-lust now at a fever pitch.

Flame Princess reacted to this intrusion in much the same way Bubblegum had, with a mixture of shock and confusion. Her father, Flame King, did not seem nearly so surprised, though perhaps he should have been as he was now imprisoned in the lantern that had once held his daughter. Their reactions made no difference to Marceline however, as all that mattered was their red.

She went after Flame King first, as he was the easier target, noticing as she did how Flame Princess did nothing to protect her father. The red from his flames was sweet and not nearly as hot as she'd anticipated, but she sucked it up all the same. Unfortunately her decision to drain him first had given Flame Princess time to escape, though Marceline knew where she would head.

With that in mind she turned and gave chase, leaving Flame King's withered body behind for his subjects to deal with. She moved with lightning speed and within minutes had caught up to her quarry, though Flame Princess was still just beyond her reach.

"Why do you run, daughter of fire?" Marceline called, her tone mocking. "Do you fear death that much?"

Flame Princess gave no response, but Marceline could sense the truth. The ruler of the Fire Kingdom did fear death, just as Bubblegum, Finn, Jake, and all other living beings did. But what was there to fear? Death was simply a part of life, a part Marceline had long since learned to accept. But it was not her acceptance of death that drove her forward now, it was he desire to taste the red in Flame Princess' fire. And that desire gave her an unnatural burst of speed that finally closed the gap between them, much to Marceline's delight.

She tackled Flame Princess to the ground, her hands closing around the other girl's wrists, pinning them down. The fires burned her, but she did not recoil, her desire for red overriding her sensation of pain. Flame Princess struggled mightily, but Marceline's grip was too strong and she could not break free. For a moment their eyes met, Marceline's blood red gaze drawing a shiver of fear from Flame Princess, and then Marceline struck, her fangs sinking into Flame Princess' fiery flesh. The heat was astounding and it burned Marceline's flesh to a blackened crisp, but she did not stop, the voice in her head telling to keep going until there was nothing left. And so she drank until, finally, she felt Flame Princess go still beneath her. She pulled back then, Flame Princess' lifeless body dropping to the ground in a pitiful heap.

Marceline smiled as she admired her handiwork, the craving still pounding in her head. She looked up and noticed that they were just outside the Candy Kingdom, where Princess Bubblegum lay dying and Finn was undoubtedly trying to find a way to stop her. _Let him try_, she thought. _I cannot be stopped._ And yet she knew that if she did not deal with Finn soon he would come for her. And so she moved to end him now, dragging Flame Princess' limp, lifeless corpse with her.

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." she muttered as she reentered the Candy Kingdom, her red eyes flashing with a merciless glee.

* * *

As Marceline made her way back to Bubblegum's castle, Finn sat preparing for battle, his insides squirming with anticipation. His search for the Sword of Everlasting Redness had not been a difficult one. In fact, it hadn't really been much of a search at all. Ice King had known exactly where the sword had been hidden, which made Finn more than a little suspicious. It wasn't like Ice King to do favors without asking for something in return, but if he was planning something Finn had yet to pick up on it. Regardless, they had retrieved the sword and that was all that mattered.

Ice King had promised that using the sword would not only defeat the Red Wizard, but restore Marceline's victims as well, though Finn didn't see how that was possible. He was still struggling with the fact that he had to kill Marcy, but there was no other way. Still, it pained him that he had to kill one friend to save the others and he knew he would never forgive himself for this, regardless of the outcome.

Jake was no less weary of the plan than Finn, but he seemed to have resigned himself to the fact that it was the only way. Finn couldn't blame him. Jake had a family to look out for and though it would be hard to watch Marceline die, it was ultimately worth it to protect his family.

At that moment Jake was stationed out on Bubblegum's balcony, watching for any sign of Marceline's return. Finn was just getting up to stretch when Jake's call came.

"She's here dude." he cried. "And she has Flame Princess with her."

"What?" Finn asked, his tone startled.

"She has Flame Princess with her and it doesn't look good." Jake repeated.

Finn quickly moved to his brother's side and peered into the darkness. Sure enough Jake was right. Marceline was approaching and in her arms was the lifeless body of Flame Princess. Finn's eyes widened in horror and he leaped from the balcony, his fists clenched in rage.

"Finn wait!" Jake cried, but Finn ignored him and ran straight to Marceline. Jake sighed and followed, Ice King bringing up the rear.

Finn stopped in front of Marceline, whose eyes were glittering with a sadistic glee. She smiled and dropped Flame Princess at his feet, her gaze never leaving him.

"A gift for you, Finn the Human." she said, her smile twisting into an evil grin.

Finn stared at her, rage pounding in his ears, but it was Ice King who spoke next.

"Marcy, what happened to you?" he asked. "How could you let this happen? Didn't I train you better than that?"

"Oh Simon." Marceline said, using Ice King's real name. "You taught me nothing, you old fool. This was always going to happen. I'm a vampire, the daughter of the ruler of the Nightosphere. Did you really think I wouldn't do this?"

Ice King said nothing, though it was obvious he wanted to. But his words failed him and he was left to stare at this horrible monster that had once been the little girl he had taken care of.

Marceline smiled again and was about to speak, but Finn beat her to the punch.

"Enough talk." he said, his tone full of rage. "Let's settle this."

"If you think you can defeat me, then come and try." Marceline said, her voice barely concealing another tone that spoke from somewhere within her.

"Gladly." Finn said, drawing the Sword of Everlasting Redness.

Marceline hissed, recoiling in fear, her eyes flashing blood red. "Not the sword." she moaned. "Where did you get the sword?"

"Ice King showed me where it was hidden." Finn answered. "And now I'm gonna end you with it." With that he lunged, aiming the sword at her heart. _Sorry Marcy_, he thought as her drove the sword through her chest.

Blood sprayed everywhere, drenching Finn and Marceline in red. Marceline gasped, her eyes going wide with shock and pain and then she collapsed, her body going limp as her life left her. As she fell a great red specter rose above her, its red cloak billowing in the wind.

"Worthless human." the Red Wizard cried. "You've killed my host."

"Yeah and now I'm gonna kill you, you donk." Finn shouted, before swinging the sword with all his might.

The blade met the Red Wizard with tremendous force and his ghostly form exploded in a blinding flash of red light. Finn felt his feet leave the ground as the shock wave hit him and the next thing he knew he was sprawled on the ground, the Sword of Everlasting Redness stuck in the ground beside him. Jake lay a few feet away, groaning and the Ice King was sprawled on the steps of the castle. Marceline and Flame Princess still lay where they had fallen, blood and flame seeping into the ground beneath them.

* * *

For a long time it was silent, the only sound Finn's ragged breathing as he tried to recover from being knocked on his ass. And then Flame Princess gave a shuddering gasp, the sound drawing Finn's attention.

"Flame Princess?" he asked, crawling over to her.

"Finn?" she replied, her voice weak and shaky.

"Yeah, I'm here." he said, fighting to hold back his tears.

"Where am I?" Flame Princess asked. "What happened to me?"

"You're in the Candy Kingdom." Finn answered. "Marceline attacked you. She was possessed by the Red Wizard and she tried to kill you."

"What happened to her?" Flame Princess asked, not sure she wanted to know.

"She's dead." Finn answered, his tone sullen. "It was the only way."

"I'm sorry Finn." Flame Princess said, touching him gently on the cheek. "I know she was a dear friend." She looked at him a moment, before turning her gaze towards the castle.

Finn followed her gaze and saw, to his relief, that Princess Bubblegum was descending the stairs, Lady Rainicorn, LSP, and Doctor Princess accompanying her. PB smiled when she saw Finn, her smile sad, as though she already knew of Marceline's fate.

"You did it Finn." she said. "You defeated the Red Wizard."

"But at what cost?" Finn asked, his gaze moving to Ice King, who was kneeling beside Marceline, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

"A great one, to be sure." Bubblegum answered. "But it was necessary. If you hadn't done it the Red Wizard would have won."

"Not necessarily...Bonnie." a weak, shaky voice said then, making them all jump.

"Marceline?" Bubblegum asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm alive." Marceline said, sitting up, her gaze meeting Finn's. "Somehow. Thanks for helping me, by the way."

"Any time." Finn said. "It was no problem at all."

"Wait a minute, hold everything." Jake said, glancing at Marceline. "Did you know the whole time you were possessed?"

"Yes." Marceline answered. "I tried to fight it, but that damn wizard was too strong. All I could see was red and all I could do was feed. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Bubblegum said. "It wasn't you. We all know you would never hurt any of us intentionally, unless we gave you a reason."

Marceline nodded. "How did I survive though?" she asked. "Finn put that sword right through my heart."

"The sword is red." Ice King said. "And you feed on red. It's only natural that the sword would somehow revive you, just as it did your victims."

"Wait, you knew she wouldn't actually die?" Finn asked, outraged.

"Of course." Ice King said. "But I couldn't tell you that. A wizard never reveals all his secrets, after all."

Finn glared at him, annoyed, but everyone else just laughed, all of them glad to have made it through this ordeal, though some of them sensed this wasn't the last time someone would threaten to destroy all of Ooo.

**End.**

**A/N: And that's my first Adventure Time fic. As the summary states, the idea for this was inspired by the episode "Red Starved." I'll assume you can figure out how that was an inspiration. Anyway, Adventure Time is not mine. It is the property of Pendleton Ward and Cartoon Network, though, as with the other series I've written stories for, it would be awesome if it was mine. Just to clarify, the Red Wizard is actually a spirit and the spell he cast at the beginning is what allowed him to possess Marceline. Also, the Sword of Everlasting Redness does still exist. It's existence is based on the sword Finn has that was forged from the blood of Kee-Oth the Blood Demon, as seen in the episodes "Play Date" and "The Pit." That's pretty much all I have to say, so I hope you enjoyed the story. Cheers, Kamari Turen.**


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